


Like A Leaf in the Wind

by SingingInTheRaiin



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Bad Wolf Rose Tyler, F/M, Gen, Reunion Fic, Time Travel, being vague and mysterious, but i'll never stop wanting to put Rose and the Doctor back together, pretty sure i've written basically the same story about twenty times already
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23445376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingingInTheRaiin/pseuds/SingingInTheRaiin
Summary: “Do you know anything about the razoor monkeys?”“No. Why don’t you tell me about them?”“They’re such adorable little things, native only to Haxom VI. They’re a big point of tourism for this place, since they can’t survive in any environment but this one. But they’re also one of the most vicious and dangerous creatures in this entire galaxy. Of course all they can do is shred you to pieces with their claws, which many other creatures are capable of.”“So then what makes them so dangerous?”“The reason the razoor monkeys are so dangerous, Doctor, is because they’re so adorable that you won’t realize you’re in trouble until it’s too late.”
Relationships: Amy Pond/Rory Williams, Eleventh Doctor/Rose Tyler, Ninth Doctor/Rose Tyler, Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Rose Tyler
Comments: 8
Kudos: 164





	Like A Leaf in the Wind

The Doctor smiled at the girl who plopped down in the seat next to him. He didn’t even know her name, but they’d just saved this planet together, and she’d proven herself to be exceptionally clever. “So now are you going to tell me what a human is doing here?” The exasperation in his voice was an obvious jest, and she seemed to understand that without any trouble. 

She just laughed at him, though, and changed the topic like his question hadn’t even been asked. “Do you know anything about the razoor monkeys?”

The Doctor tilted his head as he looked at her, curious to know what else she had to say. It was rare that he met anyone so unpredictable to him. “No. Why don’t you tell me about them?”

She smiled like she’d expected that answer from him, and the Doctor did his best to ignore the twisting sensation in his stomach that came immediately after seeing her lovely grin. “They’re such adorable little things, native only to Haxom VI. They’re a big point of tourism for this place, since they can’t survive in any environment but this one. But they’re also one of the most vicious and dangerous creatures in this entire galaxy. Of course all they can do is shred you to pieces with their claws, which many other creatures are capable of.”

The way she paused deliberately there made it obvious that she wanted the Doctor to prod her into continuing, and he found himself too enthralled to try fighting his instincts around her. “So then what makes them so dangerous?” His voice came out just barely above a whisper, and he knew that he was acting like he was in his two hundreds all over again, but he couldn’t help it. Something about this girl made him feel like it was okay to act this way.

His whispered question made her grin stretch wider, and she leaned closer to the Doctor, like she was about to tell him a great secret that no one else could know. “The reason the razoor monkeys are so dangerous,  _ Doctor _ , is because they’re so adorable that you won’t realize you’re in trouble until it’s too late.” By the time she finished speaking, their faces were so close together that it would have been ridiculously easy to tilt forward just the slightest bit and kiss her. From the way that she ran her hand gently across the Doctor’s chest, he got the feeling that she wouldn’t reject him if he were to ask. 

Before the Doctor could say anything else, the girl suddenly sprang up to her feet, and gave him a small wave before turning and sauntering off. The Doctor just stared after her, unsure of what exactly had happened. He’d felt such a strong connection with that nameless girl, but by the time he got to his feet to chase after her, she was already long gone.

The Doctor did his best to shove down the feeling of disappointment that welled up inside of him. He didn’t need the complication of bringing a human onboard the TARDIS just because his hormones got a little out of control. He was sure that he’d meet plenty of other attractive creatures throughout his travels, and this one girl would be quickly forgotten about.

It wasn’t until he was back on his TARDIS a few hours later, ready to fly off to find the next adventure, that the Doctor realized two very important facts. First, that his sonic screwdriver was gone, and there was only one person who would have had the opportunity to slip it out of his breast pocket. And second, that he’d never actually introduced himself to that girl, but she’d clearly known who he was. Well damn. There went his plan of forgetting all about her.

,,,

Normally the Doctor liked to hold his ship together with the equivalent of duct tape and gum, but when the ship herself was basically begging for new parts, the Doctor knew he had to listen. He would never want his TARDIS to be in pain if there was anything he could do to stop it.

The Doctor stepped inside the garage that the TARDIS had parked near, assuming that there was someone inside qualified enough to know what parts he needed (though of course he’d never trust anyone else to actually do the repairs on the ship). 

At first, the Doctor didn’t see anyone. Then he glanced down, and saw a pair of legs sticking out from underneath a hovercar that was being held in place with giant mechanical arms attached to the walls. The Doctor cleared his throat to get the mechanic’s attention, and there was a loud thump as they clearly banged their head against the underside of the vehicle.

Then they slid out from underneath the car, revealing a face smudged with grease, and bottle blonde hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. “Can I…” she trailed off as she looked at him, and the Doctor used the opportunity to try and figure out why she looked so familiar.

Once he made the connection, his eyes widened. “You!” He didn’t know what else to say, since he’d never learned her name, or anything about her other than the fact that she was human. 

“Doctor,” she responded, a small, but warm, smile on her face. 

It took a couple of seconds for the Doctor to realize just why it was so strange that she would address him like that. “I had a different face last time we saw each other,” he told her, as if she might have forgotten. Of course, it was always a possibility that their timelines weren’t in sync with each other, but the Doctor got the feeling that that wasn’t the case.

Especially when she just gave a small nod, and then got to her feet, stretched her arms casually above her head. “You did,” she agreed. “But I’d recognize you anywhere. You have a very distinct personality.”

The Doctor crossed his arms over his chest. “You can assess my entire personality from just three words? Not to mention the fact that you don’t seem at all surprised about the possibility of someone changing faces.”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Are you surprised to learn that I can change my hair whenever I want?”

“No…?”

She smiled at him. “Why aren’t you surprised to learn those things? Many aliens are quite shocked to learn that there are so many things humans can do to alter their natural appearances. In fact, when I revealed that my hair isn’t naturally blonde, I think it nearly caused a war on Prioltia. Anyways, it’s the same with you, right? Time Lords can change their entire body, and for the most part, that’s information known only to them and the other Gallifreyans. It’s not common knowledge, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be learned. Just as you must have learned at some point that humans can change their hair.”

The Doctor just stared at her for several long seconds before he finally cleared his throat and spoke. “You are quite fascinating, for a human.”

“Fascinating? I think you mean mysterious. And we both know how much you enjoy a good mystery.”

“Do we?”

It was almost unnerving to realize just how well this human knew him, even though he hardly knew anything about her at all, though being a time traveler did mean that this wasn’t a unique scenario for him. “We do,” she said with the full confidence of someone who knew exactly what they were talking about. “Though I suppose if you want to prove me wrong, you can just get back onto your TARDIS right now and let yourself hurtle through all of time and space until you find your next adventure. If you do that, you probably won’t ever see me again. The universe is far too large for that. But if you don’t care about solving the mystery, then that shouldn’t matter, right?”

Of course there was no way that the Doctor would leave now, before he’d gotten any answers. And from the smug look on the girl’s face, he knew that she was already well aware of that. “So are you saying that if I stay, you’ll give me answers?”

She had the audacity to laugh at him. “Depends on what kinds of questions you ask. Some questions just shouldn’t be answered, because it’s so much more fun to wait and make you experience it all for yourself.“

The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows. “So are you saying that you’re from my future?”  
She thought about it for a moment, and then gave a light shake of her head. “Not exactly. If anything, you’re the one who’s from my future. And you don’t hear me asking all kinds of questions that are liable to get a person in trouble.”

“How do you know who I am, then?” Even as the words came out of his mouth, he already knew that she wasn’t going to give him any kind of satisfactory answer to that, but he found that he was surprisingly unbothered by that. He didn’t wait for her to laugh at him again, and just continued on. “Oh don’t bother. Just tell me… would you happen to need a ride anywhere?”

She tilted her head to the side for a moment to think about it, and then shrugged one shoulder. “Nah, I should be alright. What about you? Do you need a ride anywhere?”

The Doctor scoffed. “Of course not. I’ve got a TARDIS, which I’m sure you’re already aware of. It is one of the most efficient forms of travel to ever exist, and…” he trailed off at the raised eyebrow he got in return for his words. “What?”

“Well one of the most efficient forms of travel to ever exist is current being kidnapped.”

The Doctor whirled around, and through the open garage doors he could see the TARDIS being dragged down the street by a large truck and a silver chain connecting them. He didn’t have time to ask the human woman any more questions, he just ran after his precious ship. Was it really so impossible to ask for a single trip where there was no trouble?

By the time the Doctor had rescued the TARDIS and returned to the garage, the woman was nowhere to be found, and he let out a sigh of resignation before trudging back aboard his ship, without even having retrieved the parts he needed. “I blame you for this,” he grumbled. He got the impression that she just laughed at him. 

,,,

“Run!” It wasn’t until they reached the elevator that the Doctor turned to get a better look at the girl he’d just saved. He nearly dropped the plastic arm he was holding when he realized that he knew her. It only took a couple of seconds for him to call up the memories of his previous encounters with her. There had been a few of them over the years, almost always spread out just enough that he forgot about her before she popped up again. “Ah, so it’s you again.”

But instead of offering one of her usual enigmatic or mischievous smiles, she just furrowed her eyebrows at him. “What?” He frowned when he looked in her eyes and didn’t see an ounce of recognition. Was this the first time she met him? He’d started to wonder if he would ever reach this moment. 

He tuned back in when he realized she was rambling on about students or something, and he answered back in a bit of a daze, barely aware of what he was saying or doing. He sent her away, and learned her name (Rose- which somehow fit her now, but didn’t feel like it matched the version of her he’d met so many times before). He figured that it was the end of this encounter with her, and continued on with what he’d come here for. Before he knew it, though, he was standing at her front door, and then… some other things happened, probably, though the Doctor could barely pay any attention, and then finally she was stepping onto the TARDIS for the first time, and he watched eagerly for her reaction. 

As soon as she stepped through the doors, she paused. He waited, as fully he expected her to ignore the danger and duck outside again to get a better look at the outside of the ship. She surprised him, though, when she just froze in place for a moment, and then hurried towards the console.

She reached out to run her hand across the console, and murmured something too quietly for even the Doctor’s superior hearing to pick up. To the Doctor’s confusion and amazement, he could feel the TARDIS’ fondness for Rose, as it came out with such a heaviness that it almost felt like a thick blanket of psychic energy wrapping around Rose. Just who was this girl? Or maybe the right question to ask was who would she be?

When she saved his life, the Doctor decided that he had to ask her to come along. They had to know each other somehow, and this seemed as good a way as any, right? She surprised him for the thousandth time when she turned him down, just so she could stay and take care of that useless lump.

The Doctor stomped back onto his ship. Whatever. He was better off on his own anyways. He went all over the universe and saved peoples’ lives, and proved that he wasn’t lonely at all.

Then he bumped into her again, only it was clearly not the same Rose he’d left behind on Earth a few months ago. “You know, I’ve always wondered what you did before you came back for me.”

The Doctor looked up from the neon orange beverage he’d been in the middle of drinking. “I thought you said I was from your future.”

She just shrugged. “Time’s relative, isn’t it?” Then she hopped onto the stool next to his, and turned to face him, but she didn’t say anything else, just let her eyes travel over him like she was trying to study him. 

Silences like this made him uncomfortable, so the Doctor forced himself to speak. “I suppose you’re here to tell me that I have to go back, because if we don’t travel together it will create a paradox since this version of you wouldn’t exist?” 

Why was he not surprised when she laughed at him. “Oh, Doctor, I always exist. Always have, and always will. You have no more control over the existence of time itself than you do over me.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Great, as if that wasn’t entirely vague and unhelpful.”

“I learned from the best!” 

That made the Doctor think of something, and he suddenly sat up straighter to try and get a better look around the room. “So which one’s me, then?” When she didn’t answer right away, he sighed. “Right. You found someone better and ditched me, I suppose? I shouldn’t be surprised. How long did you actually stay with me?”

She reached out to clasp her hands around his. “Doctor, I would stay with you forever.” Her voice was earnest, and her eyes displayed a depth and intensity rarely seen in humans. “If it was my choice, I would never leave you.”

The Doctor frowned. “We were separated against your will? Then why wouldn’t you just take me up on the offer of a ride? I could get you back to the version of me that lost you-”

She started shaking her head before he even finished talking. “There’s too much at stake. There are things that need to happen, people you need to meet, places you need to go, that wouldn’t if I let myself be selfish. People like us aren’t allowed to be selfish, Doctor. There’s too much at stake for that.” She quietly got back to her feet, and pulled her hands away from his. He had to resist the urge to snatch them back. After a moment of hesitation, she leaned over to press a light kiss to his forehead, and he let her. “Doctor, we’re not allowed to be selfish. But if anyone deserves to be, it’s you.” Then she slipped away, and the Doctor could only stare after her. 

When he landed back on Earth just a few seconds after he left, he tried to convince himself that there was some logical reason to do this, and not just because he was truly lonely. At least this time she actually came with him, running onto the ship without a single thing but the clothes on her back. She would soon prove to be very different from how she’d be someday, but she was perfect all the same. Just for now, the Doctor decided to forget about the future and all the tragedies that it would contain. That was all far away from here and now with Rose Tyler.

,,,

Even with the Doctor’s superior biology, he found himself quickly getting tired out from his ridiculous dance moves. He didn’t think that they actually looked cool, but the children seemed happy, and every time he glanced over at Amy, she had a giant grin on her face. He’d dance like this for hours if it kept her happy.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t take a break. So he grabbed a fancy champagne glass, dumped its contents into a bush so that he could fill it with water, and headed outside of the reception hall. He gripped the railing and stared out at the setting sun. Now that he was out of sight of the happy newlyweds, he allowed himself to let out a weary sigh that most humans would probably think he looked too young to do. 

He hadn’t heard anyone follow him out, so he was definitely startled when someone suddenly spoke. “Long day?”

“You have no idea,” he started with a soft chuckle. “Who would’ve thought that rebooting the universe…” he trailed off as the sound of the voice caught up with him. It was one that he hadn’t heard in hundreds of years, and yet he recognized it because even just two words were enough for the familiarity to feel like a punch to his gut. He quickly whipped himself around, and there she was, leaning up against the wall with that gorgeous grin on her face. “Rose…” his voice was just a broken whisper, but he knew that she heard him. 

She wasn’t wearing her signature leather jacket that signified her dimension hopping days, so he could only assume that this was the future version of Rose that he’d encountered many times before he’d even learned her name. Though he hadn’t seen this version of her in so long. At least not since… “Bad Wolf,” slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it. “Rassilon, I’m such an idiot. How did I not realize sooner?” 

“It must be the eyes,” she teased. “I think if they were glowing and gold, you’d probably have noticed that.”

The Doctor shook his head, not in the mood to be teased. “You’re nothing like her,” he said, more to himself than anything. “I should have known that you aren’t her.”

He did notice the almost hurt look that flashed across her face. “I assure you, I am still Rose Tyler, Doctor. I’m just a little bit something else, too. The Bad Wolf that you saw on the Game Station that day does indeed exist in every possible moment of time, but that’s not what I am. I’m not one of those moments. When you last saw me, in your time, it was to send me away, remember? That me was the same me that is standing right in front of you. As soon as I became Bad Wolf for the first time, everything about me was changed. I just didn’t realize it right away.”

The Doctor just stared at her, and found that he believed her right away (or maybe he just wanted to believe her so badly, and that was enough). “So you came back to this universe, somehow, and you couldn’t think of anything better to do than bounce around and visit me in the past?”

Rose shrugged. “I’ve been quite busy since I came back. But if visiting you was all I wanted to do, then… well, I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you how difficult it was for me to stop myself from visiting you sooner. I missed you so much, Doctor. I miss the way things were between us in the beginning, when everything was simple and fun.”

The Doctor snorted. “When was there ever anything simple about traveling through time and space?”

They both just stared at each other for a moment, and then they lunged forward at the same time to pull each other into a tight hug. “I just wanted to be there for you however I could, since I couldn’t be there in a time that you knew me.”

When the Doctor pulled back to get a better look at Rose, he had to resist the urge to pull her in for a kiss. He’d only shared a single kiss with her, and that one barely counted since she was full Bad Wolf at the time and hadn’t even remembered it afterwards. But right now he was pretty sure that it was more important to ask questions than to give in to temptations. “So why now?”

“The universe just got rebooted. That’s a fixed event if I’ve ever seen one. Me showing up now can’t hurt our past.”

“And what about our future?”

The way Rose smiled at him nearly hurt because of how beautiful a sight it was. “I know that it’s been a long time since I was an important part of your life-”

The Doctor shook his head. “Make no mistake, Rose Tyler, you never once stopped being an important part of my life. I’m so happy that you’re here now.”

“I’m happy to be here, too. I’m so tired of drifting around alone.”

The Doctor grinned. “Well, if you’re interested, I might know a guy with a pretty sweet ride.”

Rose raised one eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Yeah. And I happen to have it on good authority that said ride would love to have a familiar face on board.”

Rose tilted her head to the side. “Just the ride?”

The Doctor’s grin didn’t fade at all. “Well, maybe the driver too.”

Then Rose suddenly wrapped her hands around the back of the Doctor’s neck, and stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him. “In that case, count me in.” 

,,,

The Doctor smiled at the girl who plopped down in the seat next to him. He felt like he’d known her forever, and they’d just saved this planet together. She’d proven herself to be exceptionally clever, but he’d already known that. “So now are you going to tell me what a human is doing here?” There was no exasperation in his voice, just joy as he called back to the first time he’d met her, and she seemed to understand that without any trouble. 

When she smiled back at him, it felt like both of his hearts were going to beat right out of his chest. “Blame the lousy driver.” But she said it with so much fondness in her voice that it was impossible to feel offended. 

When Amy made fake gagging noises behind them, the Doctor just ignored it, because absolutely nothing could make him any less happy in that moment. 


End file.
